Theresa May receives death threats from IS
The UK will no longer tolerate the behaviour of Islamist extremists who ‘reject our values’, Home Secretary Theresa May has said. She invited individuals, families and communities to join a ‘partnership’ to tackle the issue head on. Mrs May said everyone in Britain had ‘responsibilities as well as rights’, and must respect laws, institutions and the rights of others. Speaking in London, she also outlined plans to ban hate preachers. She announced Tory plans for a review of Sharia courts in England and Wales to examine whether they are compatible with British values.' We will no longer tolerate your behaviour. We will expose your hateful beliefs for what they are.’ An Islamic State fighter has called for the death of Home Secretary Theresa May following the speech she made on Monday in which she called on British Muslims to help defeat extremism.
RE teacher recruitment drive backed with cash offer
A campaign to persuade more graduates to become religious education (RE) teachers has been launched. The Religious Education Council of England and Wales (REC) wants to raise awareness of bursaries of up to £9,000 available to cover training costs. RE has grown in popularity, with entries to the full course GCSE rising 19% since 2012. A-level entries have also increased more than any arts, humanity or social science subject over the past 10 years. The Beyond the Ordinary campaign is the first to specifically target potential trainee RE teachers and is being funded by donations from charitable trusts. More than 800 teacher training places will be available in the subject from September. Successful candidates with firs-class honours degrees will be eligible to receive training bursaries of £9,000, with £4,000 per year available for graduates with upper second class degrees.
Government drops plans to monitor Christian Union talks
Government has dropped the key section of ‘anti-terror’ guidance which threatened freedom of speech at university Christian Unions. Widespread concern had emerged over the draft guidance for the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, which said that university societies in Britain would be forced to hand over external speakers’ talks two weeks in advance for vetting. It has been suggested that specific guidance on the issue of external speakers may be published before the General Election but it would not have any legal force. The Christian Institute welcomed the change, while student charity UCCF said: ‘We are profoundly thankful to the Lord for overruling in this.’ The issue concerns the Prevent strategy which aims to counter terrorism by addressing ‘extremism’. In January, Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights warned that the ‘legal uncertainty’ about the definition of ‘extremist’ will have a seriously inhibiting effect on bona fide academic debate’. (See also Prayer Alert 04-2015)
Up to 500 West Midlands children 'at risk of sex exploitation'
Almost 500 children across the West Midlands were victims of, or vulnerable to, sexual exploitation in the first half of last year, figures have revealed. A report found some children were trafficked by gangs and often passed between offenders. It is thought to be the first time data has been compiled for the whole region. Stephen Rimmer, a senior civil servant who led the project, said it would help improve support for children. He said it provided ‘a proper picture for the first time of the scale and nature’ of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the area. ‘I think society has been slow to recognise that child sexual exploitation is insidious, it's spread right across the country - victims are often terrified and they will not be comfortable working with police and other agencies,’ he said.
Housing costs prevent young people from starting families
The cost of housing is preventing nearly a quarter of 24 to-39 year-olds from starting a family, new research shows. Figures from the housing and homelessness charity Shelter and YouGov show that prospective parents across the UK are putting off having children because housing is so expensive, with 57 per cent waiting for up to five years to start a family. The survey also revealed that 16 per cent of people know someone who has moved in with a partner quicker than they would have liked to during the past year, because they could not afford to live alone. One in 10 of those surveyed admitted that they would like to leave their partner but have not done so because they could not afford another place to live. Shelter has called on politicians of all parties to commit to building more affordable homes, so that young people have the chance to start a family in a safe and stable home.
50% of British children don't eat veg each day
More than half of British children don't eat a single portion of vegetables a day, according to Newsround's food survey. The Government recommends that everyone should have at least five portions of fruit and veg a day. But the survey shows 52 in every 100 children don't have any veg, and 44 in 100 have no fruit on a daily basis. What we're eating is a big issue at the moment because one in three children in the UK is obese or overweight. That figure has trebled in the last 25 years. The survey was of 1,432 boys and girls, aged 7 to 12, across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It also showed that lots of children are trying to make positive changes to their diet. It suggested that eight in 10 children have made changes like drinking more water and eating more fruit and vegetables recently.
Nigeria: Voting this Saturday - Sharia or Christian country?
Muhammad Buhari wants to replace the current Christian President of Nigeria. Buhari has said in the past, ‘Sharia should be introduced across Nigeria. I will continue to show openly and inside me total commitment to the Sharia movement. God willing, we will not stop agitating for total implementation of the Sharia in Nigeria. God has given us a legal responsibility to continue to uphold the practice of Sharia wholeheartedly and educate non-Muslims that they have nothing to fear. What remains for Muslims in Nigeria is for them to redouble their efforts, educate Muslims on the need to promote the full implementation of Sharia law.’ Buhari’s comments were interpreted as a call for the imposition of Sharia even in the mainly Christian south. Also in the run-up to federal elections Nigerian journalists have been attacked and beaten at political rallies, and fear attack from militants. See:
Syria: 31 March ‘Aid Conference’ - 12 million people need help NOW
Syrians feel ‘increasingly abandoned by the world’ as global attention focuses on IS militants while violence and government bureaucracy hinder delivery of aid and medical supplies to 12 million people. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said a lack of accountability during the four-year civil war has also led to a rise in allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights abuses. While aid is reaching several million people, the situation for 4.8 million people in hard-to-reach areas (especially 212,000 people in besieged areas) was of ‘grave concern. Hospitals and schools are being attacked and international aid funding has failed to keep pace with needs. The UN is seeking $8.4 billion to meet humanitarian needs in 2015, after only securing half the funding it asked for in 2014. Mr Ban ki-moon said at a pledging conference in Kuwait on 31 March is crucial.
Global: Unrest inside IS
Eleven medical students and doctors of Sudanese origin went to Syria to provide medical assistance to IS. Members of the group sent text messages saying they were treating hospital patients. An estimated 20,000 foreign fighters and supporters have flocked to Syria and Iraq to prop up IS. The Washington Post reported special treatment and better pay for the foreign recruits have made local fighters resentful. Foreign fighters live in cities where there’s less chance of airstrikes while Syrian fighters serve in more vulnerable rural outposts. IS is paying foreign fighters $800 a month, but Syrians half that amount causing mounting unrest in IS. Meanwhile nine members of IS were killed during infighting after they tried to flee over the Turkish border. It is not the first time that IS has killed its own members. They killed 120+ of their own fighters in two months, mostly foreigners trying to return home.
Mexico: Protestants imprisoned and displaced
Two Protestant cousins, Casto Hernández and Juan Placido Hernández, were imprisoned and then expelled from their community with their families after refusing to renounce their religious beliefs. Christian Solidarity Worldwide said they were imprisoned for 30 hours by village officials and the efforts to expel the men were led by local leaders. A campaign targeting the Protestant minority in this region of Mexico began in April 2014 when village authorities attempted to force Protestants to sign a document prohibiting them from belonging to any non-Roman Catholic religion. They refused, but village leaders signed the document and claimed it was binding on the community. Religious freedom violations are common in Hidalgo state where local leaders often try to force conformity to the majority religion. State officials tasked with upholding the law, including human rights protections enshrined in the Mexican constitution, rarely intervene to protect religious freedom.